(00:00:00) From Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Peru fenoli state legislator leaders and Governor pawlenty reached agreement early today and what they hope is a budget agreement that could let lawmakers and their special session tomorrow night the agreement covers three of four unfinished budget bills designed to help erase a 4.2 billion dollar projected deficit leaders return to the Capitol this afternoon to work on the remaining Bill covering Health and Human Services programs all lawmakers return to work tomorrow an apparent dispute between gangs from Minneapolis in Northfield left two men in hospitals and three in jail one man was shot in the head. Another was beaten Saturday night in a mobile home park in Northfield police. Chief Gary Smith says there had been taunting going on between the gangs but he did not know what exactly it was about as the Memorial Day weekend comes to a close tonight and other major road project will begin in the Twin Cities MnDOT Will Repair and resurface five Bridges between Little Canada Road in Little Canada and LARP enter Avenue in st. Paul Minnesota Public Radio Stephen John (00:00:57) reports. The bridge is Carrie I-35 Traffic over Roselawn Avenue Ramsey County Road be and Highway 36 the Minnesota Department of Transportation says the project will begin late tonight and weather permitting should be finished by the end of July in the initial stage the ramp from eastbound Highway 36 to southbound 35e will close also closing early. Tuesday will be the loops from southbound 35e to Highway 36 in both directions work on northbound. 35e is set to begin June 1st. MnDOT officials. Say two lanes of traffic will remain open at all times. However motorists May encounter congestion and delays during the project. I'm Steven John Minnesota Public (00:01:41) Radio, mostly sunny and Minnesota today highs from 70 to 80 right now in the Twin Cities. It's sunny and 70. I'm Perry fanelli, Minnesota Public Radio. (00:02:00) Good morning, and welcome to midday. I'm Mike Edgerly. Gary eichten has the day off the novelist Thomas mcguane once wrote that the best angling is a respite from burden at this point in the 21st century with war and violence and a down economy. Perhaps more of us are finding that Tom mcguane, 's words are more appropriate than ever angling is a respite from burden within the sound of my voice Anglers have more opportunities than almost any place in the United States and Canada in this our midday will sort through some of those opportunities with an angling Authority whose appearance on Minnesota Public Radio has become a spring tradition Chet Meyers has a half-century fishing experience. And is the author of angling books in his day job. He's a professor at Metropolitan State University in the non-traditional individualized. Station program Chet Meyers, welcome back to mid-day (00:02:53) to be here again. (00:02:54) We'd like your calls your fishing stories. You can reach us (00:02:58) toll-free at (00:02:59) 1-800-288-1560 for 22828 in the metropolitan area. The number is six five one two, two seven six thousand 6512276 thousand. I chat. I guess I should greet you with that. I should offer the universal Universal greeting from one angler to the other. How's the fishing? Have you been fishing this spring? I haven't been fishing as much as I usually (00:03:26) do. Yeah, but reports are that it's that it's pretty good. Really. We have a normal spring. I've been in Minnesota since 1968. I have never experienced a normal (00:03:36) spring. Well, what is normal? (00:03:38) Well, I get thinking normal spring as cool weather. Yeah, not a lot of hot days some nice sunny days and water temperatures are about average for where they should be this time of year. Hmm, which That's usually what dictates the fishing successes the water temperature. I see so the bass are spawning right now. I noticed I live near Lake of the Isles and the lilacs are blooming and whenever people see lilacs blooming you can bet that the bass or probably on their beds, right and the walleyes are done in Northerns are done and you know, it's it's shaping up to be a good season (00:04:09) all of the seasons except for the musky season are open now, (00:04:12) right? Yes people talk about the opener but we have for openers. We're probably one of the few states that has four. We have a stream trout opener April 12th walleyes and Northerns May 10th bass open the 24th of May and June 7th, which is late. This year is the opening for muskies. Hmm. (00:04:33) Well is there even though the seasons are open and you were mentioning that the bass are on their on their beds. I was pedaling my canoe a week ago and I noticed looking in some I wasn't fishing. I would just out getting some exercise and son. I noticed a lot of fish still sitting on their nests now should we should Anglers go after those though? Guys, or is that is that the violating the ethics of the sport? Do you (00:04:56) think well at the path (00:04:58) we are still good eating. I guess if you (00:05:00) have our individual ethics, I do not bother or harass spawning fish. I suppose it doesn't matter that much for blue gills or crappies because the production level is so high that you're never going to fish them down, but for largemouth bass in some areas in particular, it's you know, it would impact you might think it would impact on fishing. I need to qualify that a little because years ago Wisconsin began an early opener for bass. They opened the season before bass actually spawn and it has not seemed to have a deleterious effect on the fishing there. But personally, I just don't like I just don't like the idea of fishing spawning finding (00:05:37) bass, right? It does feel a little funny especially if you're floating with your polarized lenses. You can see them right on the bed in the shallows. And if you really wanted to be Predator like you could just plug them right off the off those little Oops, and in the right throw them in your boat with a net with wouldn't even have to use a (00:05:54) yeah. They're they're pretty Fierce. And actually it's the male that defends The Nest right and they're pretty Fierce and defending that they're not actually eating feeding, but they will their lashing out at stack anything that gets near the nest. Yeah, right. They spend most of their energy defending the nest against bluegills and crappies. (00:06:10) You're listening to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Mike Edgerly in for Gary eichten today our guest in this hour is Chet Myers. He's a Twin Cities based angling Authority and we're here to take your calls and questions and maybe share some of your stories. Our numbers are 6 512276 thousand that's in the Twin Cities metro area, six five. One two, two seven six thousand outside the metropolitan area. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-321-8633 two eight two eight Chet. You were noting that in Minnesota. We have a series of openers and And another feature of our the angling life here is that we have sort of a constant evolution in regulations. Are there any anything worth noting this year? I know my lacks seems to see a number of changes each year. (00:07:04) Well, they're trying to figure out how to balance the the fishing pressures versus the Mille Lacs tribes harvesting and a number of different factors On Mille Lacs. So there's more factors involved in that Lake than there are in many this year. The DNR has designated that the safe Harvest now that's the number of pounds of fish that can be harvested without affecting. The quality fishing is around five hundred and fifty thousand pounds that's up a little from last year, which was four hundred thousand pounds, but of that amount the tribal only take one fifth only take a hundred thousand pounds and that's interesting because there was a lot of hoopla if you remember the back in the 1990's 1994 when we're trying to settle this right treated there was a lot of hoopla about how the The band was going to destroy the fishing because of all the pressure the band to their credit has never taken their allocated amount. They are allocated up to 50% They could take 270,000 pounds of those walleyes this year, but they've never taken more than a hundred thousand as their quota and they've never even taken that even when they like in 19 2001. They said that they would take 85,000 Ponzi only harvested 48. So the pressure is still basically from from non-native people that are doing the angling and this year. They've changed this they have a new slot limit this year in at 17 to 28 inches, which means that you have to release any walleyes that are between 17 or (00:08:34) 20 inclusive if it's 17 it goes back its back be under 17, (00:08:38) right? Listen, keep it liberal like so it is it's much more and you can keep for fish this year. So it's more liberal than last year which was a 14 to 16, right? You could only keep fish 14 to 16 inches, which right I talked. People who fish Mille Lacs and they said they'd catch 50 walleyes in a couple days and they could keep like for right so this you can keep one trophy over 28 and you can keep for total walleyes be you know, less than 17 right inches. (00:09:05) And so these these regulations this new this new slot is effective as of now this perk right (00:09:11) season. It may change it may change (00:09:13) depending on the Harvest level as the season progresses. I (00:09:16) suppose. Yeah, the reason they've upped the Harvest level is interesting and Anglers don't think a lot about this and maybe we should think more it has to do with the prey last couple of years. They did not have a good perch hatch on the lake which meant there wasn't a lot for the walleyes to eat. So they attacked our baits, right? They were easier to catch last year. They had a bumper crop of perch hatch and they're all about 033 and a half inches long now and those are the fish that the walleyes are going to be chowing down on all year. So they figured that the Anglers are going to have a tougher time. Right so they can set a higher limit because they don't expect it to be reached. (00:09:53) And of course come July or August. We may realize that the opposite has been the case possibly more. (00:09:59) Well, you know, they'll see they're keeping very they do a very excellent job the DNR gets a bad rap. They do an excellent job managing rather resources. I'm relaxed. (00:10:07) Let's go to the phones. You can reach us at 6'5 12276 thousand that's in the Twin Cities area outside the metropolitan area. The number is toll-free 1-800 to for 22828. That's 802 for 22828. Let's go to Jack in Little Falls. You're on with Jack Myers. (00:10:25) Hi, I'm Jack and I'm from Buffalo Minnesota. And I kind of 30-inch Northern. How do you know how much that would way (00:10:33) wait a minute hold the phone. (00:10:37) 30 inch Northern I can't say because you know, there's such a variety but it's probably at least a 7 to 10 pound fish. (00:10:47) So tell us tell us about the tell us a little more about your fish (00:10:50) Jack well in Buffalo Lake I kind of like it without a leader and it's not put up a really good fight and I was really lucky that I got it. (00:11:04) That's great. That's it. That's a fish. You should be very proud of very proud (00:11:08) of and so did you get it to the shore to the boat or did it break you off? (00:11:13) No, I got it to (00:11:14) shore you did. All right, congratulations and You released it. Jack (00:11:23) what did you release it or did you eat (00:11:25) it weird? (00:11:27) And how did it taste? (00:11:29) This is pretty darn good. (00:11:30) Okay. Alright Jack. Thanks for the call. Well, that was a big fish through a true big fish story in the past tense right was a big fish. Yeah. Well, there are regulations in the state aren't there. I mean not too I'm not trying to to criticize Young Jack here. I mean, it's the everybody likes to eat fresh fish. But there are regulations are there not in the state aimed at trying to promote more of what we once knew is as trophy Northern fishing in this state. I mean, I know there's been some concern especially in the further north about the lack of really big northern pike. Is that right (00:12:09) Chet? Yeah Northerns are particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure. They're very aggressive fish pugnacious if you want to anthropomorphize a little and so they are under they're easier to catch they're more vulnerable and there is I'm looking in my in my records book here. There's a number of lakes now have a new regulation. So you need to check on this that Northerns between And 36 inches must be released. Oh 24 to 36 inches must be released and that's the way it back. That's a way of sustaining the trophy North we used to have you know, a nice truthing trophy Northern population in the state years ago before my time before your time properly and that's that's simply gone away because people catch and keep the big fish now, they're trying to regulate that by releasing. This is called a slot limit again doing 24 and 36 inches and they figure if they let those go that then some of the fish will you know, get to be the size that Jack caught and even bigger. (00:13:10) Yeah. Yeah. It's a northern pike fishing is really just an extraordinary aspect of fishing in this state, isn't it? That's just not present in so many other (00:13:18) states, right? Yeah. We have quite a quite a northern fishery and and there's no stalking. They're all naturally naturally produced fish (00:13:25) awesome. And just for the record the smaller ones. The legal ones are just as good to eat as the bigger ones for grabs, (00:13:30) right and and there was a there's a fish advisory out for most Almost all lakes in the state. Now that the health department used to have a little booklet in which they serve a different lakes and and did assess their flesh the fish flesh to see whether their pcbs are Mercury in them. And now there's just a general warning across the state because they find that mercury is so prevalent throughout the state that there's no differentiation. So any walleye over 20 inches or Northerns 30 inches or over probably should not be eaten particularly by pregnant women, you know, or women that are breastfeeding I see so that's just because of the pcbs in the Mercury that are there and it's mostly Mercury right now. (00:14:12) Our telephone numbers are 6 512276 thousand that's in the Twin Cities metro area toll-free outside the Metro 1-800 to for to to 8288 hundred two, four two two eight two eight Paul in Duluth. You're on with Chad Myers. (00:14:29) I doing guys good good. Good great show say listen, ma Avid catcher. Lisi socks angler and I'm socks Lucius right? Well several different types of you facts. I like muskies em Pike but for Jack with the the weight ratio that I use that works very well as you take the length of the fish times the length of the fish times the length of the fish and divide it by 3,500 and that will be the weight for northern pike. And you do the same for walleye only divide it by 2700. It's actually quite accurate really great. (00:15:02) So did you figure out what Jax Fish weighed? (00:15:05) I don't have a calculator with my Abacus with me about 10 pounds though, right? You got a calculator it will tell you really really close. What a ways, huh? How about that? So (00:15:16) okay, give us the formula again and we'll calculate that in the interim here (00:15:19) with about 30 inches take 30 inches x 30 inches x 30 inches. Yep and divide it by 57 3500. Pardon me. (00:15:26) Okay. Good. Thank you. (00:15:28) You're welcome. Now the question I was calling about is up here in northern Minnesota. We have a reservoir lake called Island Lake the Sergeant Lake fed by the cloak a river and the government regulates the amount of water that is let into the lake as of recently the water levels have been very very low due to volume moisture conditions and I feel that in my angling experience is that it is hurting the musky and Northern Pike populations in the lake. They have been talking muskies there now for quite some time due to the fact that all the shallow Bay's which is their habitat that they like to spawn and is basically nothing but dried up mud. I'm wondering what we can do to prevent something like that from happening Maybe by talking to the government agencies or whatever the case may be to try to allow more water into this particular system prevent this from happening if it is happening. This is just my own observations can't be good for the walleye populations either because a lot of the gravel bays are dried up also right? I'd like to get your feedback on that. (00:16:32) Okay. Yeah, I would certainly Contact the DNR and they are generally responsive to to request like that. And you're absolutely correct northern pike and muskies spawn in Bay's shallow Bay's usually Cattail basis usually muck bottom base and they are egg casters. Their eggs are in gelatinous masses which cling to whatever vegetations left from last year. And if you when you have low low water years, it's yours when the Northerns don't spawn and that that impacts on all lakes when you have high water years, then the northern spawn and then the next year you get all these little Hammer handle Northerns that week that we catch so you're absolutely right. It's probably it's not good for the Northerns. It's not good for the muskies it may or may not be good for the walleyes. It might be good for the small mouth interestingly enough when you have low water year sometimes in river systems. Particularly. The Smallmouth fishing is a little better because often Smallmouth build their nests and lay their eggs, and then the water level changes are fluctuates and Move off the Nestor the river systems. They get blown out of their (00:17:37) nest. I have seen an increase of only population and it is the fish that has not stopped the system. Yeah, and actually fishing for Muskie is I've got some trophy. It's almost wow, which is kind of wild. But well your observations are right on target. Yeah, it seems to me, you know, they spent a lot of money on Stocking muskies in this Lake and it seems to be in the same efforts. There are hindering the populations of them, right and you know for a lot of us up here. This is the only fish to fish for right we like those big fish going to fish for fish and mussels Fisher the baddest one in the lake right? Amen, and then release (00:18:09) it. Thanks Paul. Thanks. Okay. Let's go back to the phones. Steve and Circle Pines. You're on with Jack Myers. (00:18:17) All right Chad. I'm wondering for a beginning fisherman. What kind of resource would the Metropolitan Mississippi River be four again for beginning (00:18:25) fisherman. Wow, it's incredible. I mean just about anywhere in the Mississippi River is probably one of the best Fisheries in the United States of In Downtown Minneapolis, and st. Paul some of the best small mouth and walleye fishing anywhere and it's open the walleye Seasons open most of the year because there it's you know, it's because of the nature of the system it's regulated in it's mostly catching release and you wouldn't want to eat them even if you could because the again the toxins are pretty high in river fish River fish much higher toxins, normally than Lake Fisher but fishing is great. The problem is access. That's the problem. You need a boat there are not that many places to put in and you need to be careful fishing the river of course, but right below the for damned if you could put in at Hidden Falls Park, which is over in st. Paul and come up River to the for damn. That's an incredible fishery. I had a friend and I went up there once and we caught something like eight species in two hours and walleye sagres smallmouth bass catfish crappies just it's just an The Fishery but the problem is generally one of access, of course, the Coon Rapids Dam is accessible and is also handicap-accessible the you don't get quite the variety of fish up there that you do in the lower parts of the river and then you get up in the Brainerd area. I mean up around night asking that you have probably one of the best small mouth for sure. He's in the state (00:19:54) right? How's that? Does that help you (00:19:58) Steve? Yes. Yes. Thank you. (00:20:00) Yeah, it's it's amazing isn't it to what what's really in the backyard of the Twin Cities the kind of and the to be able to catch the breadth of species and not just go for one or two, but who knows what you'll you'll come in with right? (00:20:16) I had a friend who sort of blindfolded me this, you know, fishermen do this every once in a while and took me to a place and I was sworn to secrecy so I can't reveal it over the radio but was the Mississippi River I will say it was between Minneapolis and st. Paul and while we fished with was a piece of split shot, which is a little piece of lead, and I don't want to use let anymore. Because all right talk about that maybe a little later but a piece of lead split shot and a small hook and a minnow and I cut 21 Smallmouth in like two hours to two and a half pounds and my friend caught a four pounder and this was where again between st. Paul and (00:20:51) Minneapolis. Could you be a little more as a public service to mid-day listeners? We need you to be a little more specific picture. (00:20:58) You can't throw a canoe in, you know, you can can you can go down to the flats they call them the flats by the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and put a canoe in there. And again if the water levels are not raging that's that's a great place to fish (00:21:11) right? Let's go back to the phones and let's go to Marvin in Hibbing you're on with Jack Myers. (00:21:18) Yes, Marvin for me being. Yes, sir, Gordon razor Miss North Country and just absolutely dedicated walleye fisherman. I've seen her wonderful recovery of a great lake Capital Von daniken chain. That's also grayness inquiry up there. They used to have five years ago to 13 to 17 inch keeper for walleyes one over 23 inches. And this is a six year and fishery is improved. Oh well as unbelievable, and I'm just wondering why the NR wouldn't consider making a Statewide the same type of approach 13 to 17 H Keepers and are tough to catch. (00:22:09) That's an excellent question and a good observation. Thanks. Thanks so much for calling in. The answer to that question is is that the managing fish is not as simple as setting uniform standards lakes and rivers produce different amounts of fish different sizes of fish some Lakes Produce trophy walleyes some Lakes Produce smaller walleyes. There's a little Lake that I fish in Wisconsin, which has a stunted population of bass. I've cut easily 300 bass there in the last three years. Not one of them has been over 16 inches long now, there's still some nice fishing but The DNR cannot set standards like that. What they do is they will go in and test net a lake to find out what the population is and then based on that test netting they will set regulations with regards to whether there's a need for slot limit sir or not, but the slot limit which is a for people who are not familiar if a slot limit is say 12 to 16 inches for bass what that means is you have to release bass between 12 and 16 inches. Okay, so you can keep the smaller ones of the bigger ones a slot limit is a very very good way of improving the fisheries and if you consider what Mille Lacs is like now, I mean when you go up there and relax you're very likely to catch four five six seven pound walleye on a trip while you know, that wasn't when I moved here in the 60s and early 70s that was not the case. So the the gentleman who called in was very observant and and that is correct and they are the regulations are much much more widespread with regards to special regulations on lakes when I First moved here. The regulation book was like four pages long. Now, it's seventy six pages long and there's about 12 pages of special regulations for different lakes. So wherever you're fishing you better get the DNR, you know regulations and look at it because they may be impacting on your Lake and (00:24:05) our slot limits the standard form of regulation on most lakes or is it or is are there other kinds of regulations in terms of what can be kept in what cannot (00:24:15) be. Well the old way of regulating was bag limits, which meant the number of fish you could keep and that's changed pretty dramatically to from, you know, keeping 3540 crappies down to the present. I think it's 10 or 15. So so there's two two different ways of doing one is slot limit one is bag limit. Another is actually there's three. Another is regulating the season. Mmm, and some Lakes have been designated catch-and-release only now and some species have been designated smallmouth bass are pretty much, you know, given the size limit that's required you can only Keep fish over 21 inches or under 11, something like that. I mean it might as well be catching release for that species, right? So there's there are different ways of managing the resource, but I think given the fishing pressure in the sophisticated angling techniques we had today. I think the dnr's doing a pretty good job, (00:25:02) right you're listening to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Mike Edgerly in for Gary eichten. Our guests in this hour is Chet. Meyers will return to chat in just a few seconds. But first we'll get a these words and then I look at the forecast (00:25:15) programming is supported by the thousands of Twin Cities Honeywell employees and retirees whose continued commitment to volunteerism in the community helps those in need online at Honeywell.com. And by the rake magazine The Rake is available at 450 Twin Cities locations and a trach mag.com The Rake secrets of the city. Next time on Marketplace and impromptu debate on the economy at the Portland Maine Senior Center. I think I think (00:25:47) eventually that we're going to see an upswing once this levels off (00:25:52) paying for all this money that just went over to bomb and into bomb in Iraq our children. I'm David brancaccio Reflections on our economy coming up on Market Place from PRI. (00:26:02) And that's you can listen for Marketplace weeknights at 6:30 here on Minnesota Public Radio checking the state forecast for today. Mostly sunny skies the highs on this Memorial Day from the 72 around 80 for tonight clear skies the lows from the mid 30s in the northeastern counties to the mid 50's in the Far West for tomorrow another mostly sunny day a chance of a late afternoon thunderstorm in the far Northwest the highs reaching the mid 70s to the mid 80s Wednesday a chance of showers and thunderstorms the lows from the mid 40s in the north to near 60 in the South highs in the lower 70s to the lower 80s. On Thursday a chance of thunderstorms again late in the day the lows in the mid 40s to around the mid 50's the highs in the low 70s to low 80s 60s in the far Northeast and then on Friday on the eve of another weekend a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the East the lows in the mid 40s to the mid-50s the highs in the mid-70s another a glorious Memorial Day Weekend around the region you were listening to midday on Minnesota Public Radio or reminder that coming up at noon today a Memorial Day special will hear from President Bush who made the nation's presentation this morning on behalf of the Fallen War dead will hear a speech from the latest story and Stephen Ambrose and an essay from Gary eichten. That's all coming up today at noon a Memorial Day special on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Mike Edgerly in today for Gary eichten who has the day off and in this hour we're talking with Chet Myers angling Authority and a Sir at Metro State University in the non-traditional individualized education program chat a guy who's in a program like that probably knows a lot about catching fish. Thanks for your vote of confidence. (00:27:54) I did a little calculation during the break and we found out that Jack's northern pike way just about eight pounds. I see just about it. Let's see. (00:28:02) Okay. Well Jack, I hope it was legal but it could have been bigger. It could have been bigger 6512276 thousand in the Twin Cities 1-800 to for to to 828. That's 802 for 22828 outside the metropolitan area for your questions and comments for Chad Myers jet. We were talking a moment ago about the slot limits and and catch and release their there is some controversy now, it's not often that actual news breaks out in the world of fishing. But but there there are two competing studies out there now about the issue of pain and whether fish Feel pain and that might depending on the outcome of this scientific debate have some bearing on on those of us who release a lot of fish fish a lot. What what do you make of this do fish feel pain? Does that should that should we consider that as we go out to fish and maybe we're not planning to keep fish when we go out, but maybe we're going to catch 10 or 15 and are we just torturing and releasing these these little guys or what? What do you (00:29:07) think? I'm not a researcher and I haven't read the the British the British did this study on this and I haven't read this study. It would not surprise me if fish could feel pain. I mean almost all animals do at some level probably not the way we experience pain. It might be more discomfort. We don't know because we can't get inside their brains. We don't know what their pain is about. I think the larger issue is is one of treating fish with respect or treating any creature with respect so that when it comes to catch and release if you're not going to eat the fish if you're fishing for the fun of it, there are numbers of things that you Do to ensure that the fish that you do catch can be released safely. The first most important thing is to use barbless hooks. Just take the barbs Off Your Hooks if you're using lures take one of the treble hooks off so that you're not using as many hooks. I fished for years in the Body Waters for Smallmouth bass with barbless hooks. And we you know released almost all of our fish. I think I lost maybe all stretching stretching your credulity a little maybe but maybe out of a hundred bass. I would lose to write because of because of not having barbs on the hooks. So that's one thing you can do. The other thing is too surprisingly is to use heavier line hmm heavier line so that you can get the fish in more quickly the longer you Tire the fish the more lactic acid builds up in its body the more chance, even though it may swim where you're from the boat. It's going to swim away and die. The other thing is to handle it very minimally and wet your hands use moist hands. Keep the fish in the water. Don't hold them up. Don't hold them by their gills. Don't touch their (00:30:44) gills. I've got to ask you about that because you're still see photographs in the daily newspapers on the outdoor pages and in some fishing magazines of someone holding and preparing to release a rather Gnar large muskie or Northern something or walleye and and the the hand is right up into the gills. I mean, it's just it hurts me to look at it. I don't know how it felt for the fish. You won't see pictures like that in the in (00:31:07) fisherman anymore because they (00:31:08) got you got quite a response when they (00:31:11) did a section on Catch and Release and then another issue had a picture of somebody holding a fish inappropriately. I think Anglers are more sensitive to that. Now there are cradles for the man that fish is for Muskie and Northerns man who just called in their cradles built it you put them along side of the boat. You can lead the fish into the cradle and the fish in the water and release them that way but holding the fish by the gills is just bad news or even holding it by its jaw Can-Can for a large bass can break the fishes. (00:31:40) So I see (00:31:41) you want to keep them in the water. If you're doing catch-and-release don't take them out of the water. If you want to do a photograph have your buddy get everything set up first, right? Right, the the shutter speed the light all that kind of stuff and focusing set up first and then pick the fish up hold it in the middle, you know under its belly support its weight and then and then release it (00:32:03) six five one two, two seven six thousand that's in the Twin Cities or 1-800 to for 2282818 hundred two four two two eight two eight that's outside the metropolitan area. Let's go to the phones and build and Roseville you're on with Chad Myers. (00:32:18) Yeah great show say I was wondering just a quick question. I'll take the answer off the air if you have what the future is on the pollutions and pcbs. Thank you. (00:32:31) Good question. My understanding according to the testing that has been done by the Minnesota Health Department is the pcbs. Are no longer as big a problem as they used to be. Okay there we're getting that under control, but the Mercury is the big problem and there's still a lot of debate about what the source of mercury is. There is mercury in Boundary Waters fish. Where does that come from? Well, it might come from coal-burning plants up in Canada. There is a slight amount of mercury released when coal is burned another thought is that acid rain which is also result of those coal-burning plants, maybe because the water is becoming more acidic releasing acid that's in the bedrock in The Boundary Water Lakes, but whatever the cause the the Mercury seems to be the major right now the major problem not to say pcbs is not still a problem but it is so widespread that as I said the health department not just issues a blanket kind of suggestion that we not consume fish large fish between 20 and 30 inches because you know, that's that's the that's the Level the toxins build up the Mercury accumulates in the flesh. It can't be filleted out of can't be skimmed out it accumulates in the flesh. (00:33:49) Let's go back to the phones Chad. I think you may know this color. Ron Lindner is calling us from Brainerd Ron. Welcome to the program. (00:33:56) How you doing in a long long? Hello to you there Chet. Haven't seen you in a couple of years. Now (00:34:03) good to hear from you ride really (00:34:04) good. I was driving in I'm flipping through the radio and I heard your voice. (00:34:10) I'm still at it as so are you (00:34:13) in fact, I'm just came to our office brother rails inside and we're going to Malak and we're going (00:34:19) fishing great. Wonderful. So Ron, can I ask you a question? Yes is Chad a good fisherman? (00:34:25) Oh, yes. Oh absolutely wrote a book with us years ago. In fact, I think the book is still in print, isn't it (00:34:33) Chet? I believe so maybe maybe you can tell us because I'm not in touch with the things up there. How what's the fishing like on Mille Lacs this (00:34:40) Was the opener. Well, first of all, we didn't go there. We went to Pelican and or where the best season opens earlier, right? And we made a film, you know, we're back in the television now again, and we did a piece up there. And today we're going on Mille Lac looking for a area to fish for carp. We're going to make a carp segment and we're going to go out. We did a little testing last week here. By the way. This is probably one that you talk about untapped resource Malak has some of these monsters in there. We have a couple of kids out with us to were 11 and one was 13 and they were Landing 25 and 30 pound carp. Wow. I mean, it's mind-boggling mind-boggling (00:35:25) if people in England heard about that they would rush over here because when my wife and I visited England and number of years ago, I kept trying to find the best trout fishing and people kept pulling me aside and pubs and saying well I can tell you where there's some great carp fishing (00:35:38) right? It's all in the eye of the beholder. There this is a prized fishing on the continent. Yeah, whereas over here. We're the only people that do this on the lek. I mean, there is nobody when we go and do this. We see no one and these things are I'm telling you they are so abundant is unbelievable. They quit taking them commercially here. I think there's about five. I'm not sure five six seven years ago, and as a consequence, they're growing to tremendous size. We are in this little Bay by The Rum River where the out Florida Rum River was three days ago with the kids, and I mean, it was just lights out and everybody else is out there walleye fishing and again preparing for the Smallmouth victory over the weekend here, and we were out there and just enjoying ourselves no end (00:36:26) Ron. Thanks for the call, and I'm Ron. Please give my regards to (00:36:30) Al a sure thing (00:36:31) guys. Thanks again. Bye. (00:36:34) Well, you know that's friends of mine fly fish for carp. In fact a friend was telling me just a few weeks ago that he Fly fishing for carp on Lake Michigan on the other side of the Great Lakes with us fly rod and found carp that we're eating little shrimps freshwater swamps and he had tied some pattern and excuse me tied some patterns that were very similar to what he would use if he were fishing a trout stream and he was catching large carp on a fly rod. If you haven't fished (00:37:04) carp, (00:37:06) I'll tell you they make some of the other fish look like Sissy fish. (00:37:09) I mean they are so strong every year when I fish the city Lakes, I'll hook at least one carp that's around 15 or 20 pounds and it doesn't take me long to figure out even though I haven't seen it what it is because nothing fights like that. I mean they will tear your arm off. They are just (00:37:24) incredibly strong what sort of lures or bait to use for carp. (00:37:28) Well, the best is golden niblets corn, which you buy it in your grocery store. (00:37:35) They do love corn that they feed mostly on but they're bottom-feeders generally (00:37:39) although in the fall. Sometimes you'll see them slurping leaves off the surface and I've seen people walk around the lake and all you see their lips coming up its kind of a grotesque sign but they're sucking down the leaves that have fallen to the water mostly live not live bait, but even stink Bates things of that nature but crawlers. I mean, they'll take just about anything. I've had them hit Rapala has it's an incredible fish, but it's really really good to hear from Ron and leave it to Rana Alta Pioneer and you know getting people going on trophy carp fishing in Mille Lacs (00:38:11) Lake and I'm sure we'll see it on there too. Oh, yeah program. Yeah. You were right. Let's go to hell inside Liquor on with Chet (00:38:17) Myers. Yes. (00:38:27) Boy, you've got you've got me there. I'm not very knowledgeable. I can only comment on the fact that the studies that there was a Peterson's outdoor news. I think it's still around but I don't think it's called Peterson's outdoor news, but the publisher of that studied Northern spearing for a number of years and found that the biggest trophy Northerns that were being caught. We're mostly Spirit. Hmm. So again, that's a fish that's vulnerable because they come into shallow water particularly in the late season, they came into the shallow water because they're moving into spawn. So they're actually going to move in under the ice, but there was a lot of pressure to eliminate spearing because it seemed that it did seem to have an important bad effect on the trophy Northern (00:39:13) population and that is done through the ice. (00:39:15) Correct. Yes. Yes. It's in a dark house. You have to have a special permit for that. You cut a hole in the ice a big hole in the ice and use a little decoy. Shoot. (00:39:27) Go down quite a history associated with that. Oh, yeah decoy Carver's who would create these things that would lower the Pike in the (00:39:33) ice and some of those some of those decoys are pretty valuable. Hmm. (00:39:36) Have you ever done that? Have you ever spirit? (00:39:38) I went spearfishing once just just to experience it. And the amazing thing is you will be sitting perched over this whole staring down at your decoy and you'll stare for hours and all of a sudden the Northerns there. You'll never see it come in. It's just (00:39:55) there. It's like mystery. They just show up there just and then what do you do (00:40:00) then? You've got your spear in your Spears on our rope so that you don't lose it. It's a very heavy spear. Usually you're fishing in shallow water, right? You have to judge, you know, given the refraction everything about where the fishes and you try to hit it, right, you know behind the the head in the back I missed completely one fish came in and I missed it. So (00:40:19) this is not catch and release (00:40:20) fishing. This is not catching released. No. No, it's it's it's something that's Once you've done it, you've done it and they're done. Yeah, and even if you miss them, but if you hit them, you know, they probably killed them too. So (00:40:32) 651227 and 6,000 in the Twin Cities 6512276 thousand outside the Metro. The number is 1-800-218-4243 to 288 questions for a Chet Myers during this hour of midday. Now musky season is The Last of the of the series of the of the seasons that open in opens June 7th. Do you fish much for (00:40:58) muskies? I don't but I catch them inadvertently because I do most of my fishing out of a canoe in the city lakes and every year I catch you know a few I do have a friend and we usually go out once or twice on the lakes to catch muskies and we usually do because the population is so is so it's not just that it's a large population. It's that that's a fish that most Anglers who are after them are after trophy fish. So they're going to release the smaller ones, but the at one time the state record. Hybrid, Muskie and it was broken recently came out of Lake Calhoun. Hmm. All right, the hybrid is a cross between a Musky in the northern (00:41:32) pike are those are the predominant Muskie we see in Twin Cities metro legs a lot of a lot of the (00:41:38) the fish that you see in this city Lakes are hybrid muskies. There are purebred muskies in there too. I can I've started catching them recently. So they're they're getting in there also. Well, (00:41:47) the mythology is that they're just extremely tough to catch but yet it sounds like Chad. It's like bluegill fishing for you. (00:41:53) No. No, (00:41:55) I didn't mean to give that impression. Well, it was it was fabled as the fish of 10,000 (00:42:00) casts and I'm you figure out how long it takes to make 10,000 casts. But in fact if you get two Lakes were there good populations and the right time of year again, you know, you can do you can do fairly. Well, there's a man who fishes Shore fishes off of Lake Harriet with his daughter and I think one year they caught one fall. They just start in the fall. They caught something like 30 Muskies. You know 28 and 40 inches. That's a lot of that's all now. They're out there every day fishing right but I watched a man on one of the city Lakes hook a Musky and a totem. Ronnie was in a small boat and I just watched a totem around for 10 minutes. And when he finally landed it was almost you know, who's she's was well over 40 inches was close to a 50-inch musky, which is a trophy Muskie and most must Muskie Anglers vernacular. The 50 inch fish is the (00:42:52) trophy. There are some DieHard Muskie fishing line in this state aren't (00:42:55) there. You might call them addicts. Yeah. (00:42:58) And what is it about the the musk? Is it is it the difficulty is that the the chase or the pursuit of something large in a lake that that drives these people? What do you think? What's the attraction? Do you (00:43:10) think who knows as Ron said Love is in the eye of the beholder. I mean, I like small mouth bass. I'll go to just about any place to fish him out fast. Some people just are attracted to to muskies and it's it is It's a fabled fish. It's got a lot of more mythology a lot more mythology to it than some of the other fish so but I don't think it's just sighs. I think it's the Solitude, you know, most Muskie Anglers are solitary Anglers and I think they just enjoy it. We're just love it. I can't explain it. I I've never gotten into it that (00:43:41) much you often you often. See these these Anglers either in boats are walking the shoreline and they've got these these lures that look like they're as big as right Cuban cigars or something like that with hooks trailing off of them. And those are that's what they're fishing for presumably (00:43:56) right right there using large minnow type lures or floating diving lures called Su X which are a footlong. Some of them are foot long. Yeah, and it's a big lure so they've got a big rod and and, you know large capacity real with, you know, twenty Thirty pound test on it, right? I know one gentleman who fishes out of Calhoun all the time sure fishes Calhoun and he carries all of his stuff on a bicycle and he's got these huge tubes. Gigantic musky rods is a very good angler. Yeah, and he does. Well, right. (00:44:27) We'll talk to us a little bit about metro area fishing because I think it's probably no surprise that outside the metropolitan area and the in the big drainages the Mississippi the st. Croix the Lakes up north Mille Lacs that there is terrific fishing, but it sounds like an excuse me from your discussion that that if you're a city resident and either Minneapolis or st. Paul or in one of the suburbs, there's plenty of fishing here where you something you could even do on an afternoon after work or something, right? (00:44:54) I used to know the exact number of fishing lakes within the Beltway between 069244924. It's over 60, but there's an incredible fishery there. The problem is certain regulations particularly when you get inside the city limits of Minneapolis and st. Paul most of those Lakes you can only use electric motors on and you need to get a permit now the permit is now free and get a permit from both cities, but What that means is that a lot of people don't have boats with that. They're willing to put in and just run around electric motors. I fish out of a canoe there's a lot of shore fishing but she Lake Calhoun Lake Harriet Lake of the Isles snail Lake Silver Lake over in st. Paul. I mean you could go on and on Lake Phalen legal. Wha so there's just a wonderful wonderful fishery there. The problem is you're in competition with boaters particularly when you get on lakes were Motors are allowed because there's a lot of water skiing and the water quality sometimes deteriorates the clarity deteriorates in the summer and it gets kind of weedy. So some of those Lakes are you know harder to fish but it's an incredible fishery. I spend 90% of my time fishing City lakes and I just had a wonderful wonderful time there. (00:46:06) Well, I've noticed unlike Phelan which is near where I live that there are there is already a fair amount of algae starting to appear and you were talking about the weather earlier in the hour, and I wonder if in fact what we're seeing is likely Prime conditions for For algae blooms in that sort of thing. Is that (00:46:24) possible different algae bloom at different times? You actually get some algae that the bloom in the early spring when the ice goes out Isis a reddish algae. We don't see that on too many likes so it depends on the algae but water temperature triggers a lot of algae blooms and you will be seeing a lot of that more as the water warms up. The water has the water temperature still been pretty cool. Hmm. So as those temperatures increase and the sunlight and then again the thing that feeds algae as phosphorus and runoff (00:46:51) from (00:46:53) Lawns Farms things of that nature, but yeah water temperature and it will trigger a big big algae blooms and and you'll smell it. You'll just be able to walk around the lake and smoke and at that point the fish interestingly enough will start to taste like algae. Yeah, people have always ask me, you know, do you eat fish out of the city Lakes? Like they're more toxic than other Lakes. Well, maybe that's why I'm so doofy because I do to (00:47:16) either shut city likes but it's not it's not the (00:47:19) toxins that I'm worried about its the it's the He tastes which is just gets a really musty taste and smell to it and you can eat fish out of Lake Cal. Well, let's take a look at the owls because it has a bigger algae Pro you can eat fish out of Lake of the Isles as soon as the season opens and they taste wonderful. You could go back in the middle of July and you wouldn't want to touch him. They just did the same fish and then you could come back in October catch the same fish. Now, that would be a strange fish that could live three (00:47:46) lives like that and it would taste fine. Mmm. And in fact when the algae is really on in some of the city Lakes you when I like to Wade and Fly cast for fish even your feet and legs come away. Oh, yeah feeling you need a hose yourself off before you get for you walk into your house or the interesting thing is that those algae are on the surface, they (00:48:04) move up and down on the water column so you can have a really murky looking Lake and then you get down, you know, three or four feet in the water water Crews up. (00:48:12) We have just a few more minutes left. If you'd like to join our conversation with Chad Myers. The numbers are 6512276 thousand that's in the Twin Cities. Six five one two two seven six thousand or outside the metropolitan area. The number is 1-800-218-4243 for to to 828. Well, you must have an unusual fishing story to share with us. Do you have anything chat that you've never told us about something odd? Because I was I was talking with our producer Sarah Mayer the other day about casting a fly on a trout stream in Western Wisconsin recently A couple of years ago on the back cast a dragonfly takes my texts my fly and so on the Forward cast nothing happens. I look in my fly is going up into the air and the dragonfly is taking off with my obviously well tell it will tide fly because it mistook it for an insect anything goofy like that happen to you when you're fishing me all lots. Lots of goofy things happen. I think probably one of the goofiest (00:49:14) thing was when I first started fly fishing and you'll appreciate this I was dangerous and I mean, you know, I'm all of us are I would cast and cast it All of the Spaghetti would come down around my head and we were at in British Columbia fishing for trout in the Stream that had lots of trout you can see them and I was this is the first time I really went after trial with a fly rod and I made a few cast and got out, you know enough line to make a nice cast and and waited too long in the back cast and brought it forward all the line collapsed over me on my head and the Fly landed between my legs a trout came up and took it. That's I couldn't I couldn't stripline quick enough (00:49:50) to hook the truck. So, let me see if I have this correctly. You have a trout on between your legs and you've got the fly line wrapped around your head. Yes. That's quite a sight their check. Yes, and now that we broadcasted all over the news, you know, well, you'll have to include that in your next book. If there is one. All right about about fishing. Let's go to patients in Minneapolis. You're on with Jack (00:50:12) Myers. Hi there. Thanks for taking my call. I just wanted to call in I work over at clean water action in Minneapolis, and I heard you guys talking. In about the coal and mercury and I just wanted to clarify for the public out there because I think it's a really important issue when we're talking about fish and public health that actually most of them are tree that is in our atmosphere and in our environment comes from coal plants not a small amount, but actually most of it about 30% of the Mercury is from natural sources and 70% is from man-made and that includes like products like mercury thermometers, but most of that comes from coal burning facilities and other places like that, and I also did want to say (00:50:55) thanks for the information (00:50:58) and then also the which I think is really important too because I know that they're out there trying to have a lot of fun and fish, but they do need to be careful about the amount of fish that they eat too because their brains are still developing (00:51:20) great patience. Thank you. Thanks. Yeah the best fish to eat the safest fish Teeter the pan fish because the pan fish are lower down on the food scale. They are not predators in terms of eating other fish that have accumulated these toxins in them. So the bluegills the crappies small (00:51:37) bass small Northerns are (00:51:40) fine, but actually pan fish are probably the safest right the safest fish tea (00:51:44) and happily among the (00:51:45) easiest among the easiest and lots, you know, lots of them out there to be (00:51:49) caught right? Let's go back to the phone's Jerry and Ely you're on with Chad (00:51:53) Myers. Thank you. I recently moved here from Western Wisconsin, and I know obviously about to all I of the Smallmouth and Northern fishery, but I'd also like to know where can I obtain information regarding the trout Fisheries. I drove up here from Two Harbors couple days ago and across the few rivers and yet I know nothing about trout fishery up here. (00:52:19) Good question. There is the DNR. Puts out a couple of booklets one is on stream trout. Now that's mostly in the Southeastern part of the state, but they also have a map. I believe for the for the north north eastern part of the state which lists all the streams that are stocked with trout and many of the streams up there have native brook trout and they're very small looking but they've got native brook trout in them and that there are lakes that are managed for trout and most of those are in the Northeast part of the state. I just checked into the DNR web page now. I'm not a great internet user but I checked it out and it's got wonderful information on it and I will give you that address its w-w-w dot Dr. Dot State St. 8 y-- e dot mn/dot us and if you go in there, they've got the the homepage flashes up all the different pictures of the fish and you can just click on trout and that'll lead you into a maze of wonderful information about trout fishing in the state of (00:53:16) Minnesota and we'll link that to the midday page on at Minnesota Public Radio dot org and there also, To published guide books that are that are might be helpful Sjogren's and Humphreys fly-fishing Wisconsin and Minnesota trout streams and more specifically to Southeastern streams is John Van fleets book on fishing Southeastern streams between the two of those I bet you could come up with something but those Trout's the lakes that are stocked for with stream tout stream trout in northern. Minnesota would be a good bet for someone sure just starting out. But (00:53:49) yeah easily to (00:53:51) not as Wild and Woolly and experiences going up some of those small drainage some of those small drainage strings are pretty hairy (00:53:57) and there's lots of wood ticks and things of that nature but you get up there and you get into pure brook trout fishing. That's right that have never been stocked and that's that's a lot of fun and some of these streams you can spit across. Yeah. They're they're literally that that why you're looking for pools to write efficient, right? (00:54:13) Well Chet we're just just about out of time here any final words you'd like any recommendations to anyone. I mean, I we've covered a lot of ground here. Any words of wisdom as we begin what I guess is almost the official beginning finally of the fishing season in this region. (00:54:31) Now the older I get the more I realize how little wisdom I have in regards to fishing. Anyhow, I would recommend one book which I think is still in print for Twin Cities people Sybil Smith's book Twin Cities fishing, which has a lists a number of lakes and shows exactly where to fish and time of year and everything. It's a very very good resource. I would refer people to the DNR website and I would Advocate catch-and-release. I think it's one way that we can you know continue to have a quality fishery in the state of Minnesota. And you know, that's something that that we owe our children and our children's children (00:55:07) one final question before we go here, where have you not fish that you want to fish? (00:55:13) Where have I not fish that I want to fish way up in Alaska the Yukon river the MacKenzie River for northern pike. I saw a film about a man who cut Northerns up in the MacKenzie River and when they when they cut them open they did, you know, keep a couple for trophies. They find muskrat and ducks in their gullets now, (00:55:31) that's about that's a fish. I'd like to catch chat. Thanks for joining us. (00:55:35) Thank you so much. Wonderful to be here programming is supported by the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management Executive MBA program connecting you with a brightest students and Leading Edge faculty 892 to 3622. (00:55:52) Self-sufficient is a term rarely applied to composers composers need commission's to write their music musicians to play their music and audiences to here and hopefully appreciate their music. But (00:56:03) if you're a Maverick and you're swimming against the stream, you may decide to do things in a more (00:56:07) solitary way. I'm Suzanne (00:56:09) Vega join me on the next American Mavericks (00:56:12) and hear about the do-it-yourself composer. You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Mike Edgerly in today for Gary eichten checking the Twin Cities forecast for today. Mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s lows tonight around 50 tomorrow another sunny day. We should see highs among the first this year in the low 80s 30% chance of showers tomorrow night, but then Wednesday, it should clear off again and remain Sunny. It looks like the temperatures in the Twin Cities through the remainder of the week will be in the 70s. So and close to 80. It's 12:01.